You have a vision of your dream home, you’re just not sure how to bring it to life. Should you renovate an existing home, or build a new one from scratch? This can be a difficult decision given the many factors involved.
Step one is to answer this question: Are you talking about a partial renovation, or a full-scale gut renovation? Odds are, you wouldn’t even be thinking about possibly building from scratch if you just wanted to add more space to your kitchen or bathroom. A full-scale gut renovation, on the other hand, refers to a complete transformation from the inside out. You’re essentially creating an entirely new home within an existing structure.
Now that that’s out of the way, we can go over the different factors that could shift you towards either option.
Many people assume that renovating is always cheaper than building new. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Depending on the condition of the existing house, you could easily end up spending more money on a gut renovation than if you built from scratch. It’s very common to discover that the existing home requires major system upgrades that you would have to do anyway in a full new build. These costly repairs also extend the timeline of your renovation, making the project even more expensive along with dreaded change orders once construction starts.
When you build from scratch, your plan is much more straightforward. There’s no hidden damages to worry about, and you’re much more likely to complete the project within your intended timeline.
Another crucial factor is location. Do you want to live in the heart of Miami? If yes, only a limited amount of land is available for construction, so it may be easier to find an older home to renovate in this specific area.
Then there’s the matter of permits. Every city within Miami has its own permit requirements. You’d think that two cities that are right next to each other would have similar requirements, but this usually isn’t the case. This could have a massive impact on the timeline of your project. You may find out that obtaining approval to build a new home in your desired location is unbelievably tedious, so much so that it’s making you reconsider whether this location is truly worth all this time and energy.
Lastly, it’s important to note that construction is the only option where you get to build exactly what you want, down to the very last detail. With a renovation, your choices are limited by what needs to be fixed or demolished, or if the existing structure can physically support your vision in the first place. So, if you have a very specific idea of how you want your house to look, new construction may be your best option.
Regardless of which option you’re leaning towards, a great starting point for your project is meeting with an architect. At Debowsky Design Group, we can help you determine if a gut renovation or new construction makes the most sense for your vision and budget. The sooner you figure this out, the sooner you can get this life-changing project underway. Give us a call, let’s work together!